Lagos state assembly has approved a request by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to buy 355 vehicles for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at a cost of N4.4 billion in the state’s 2021 budget.
House passed the approval through a voice vote supervised by the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, in Lagos on Thursday after the state head of service and ministry of budget and economic planning defended the budget before the house on committee of economic planning and budget.
The House had on 22, Monday, March announced during plenary that it received a letter from Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget seeking approval to expend from the special expenditure to procure vehicles for official use by officials of MDAs to aid effective and efficient service.
The speaker subsequently committed the request to House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget headed by Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti Osa II), and the committee was told to report to the House on Thursday.
He said the state government needed about 1,006 for its officials but the Governor approved only 355 due to shortage of fund.
Presenting the report, Yishawu said the committee invited the state’s Head of Service (HOS), Hakeem Muri-Okunola, in respect of the request.
The lawmaker added that the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Abiola Liadi, amongst others to defend the request.
A bill for a law to consolidate all laws relating to the transport sector 2021, was also passed into law by the House.
The committee therefore advised the state government to include purchase of vehicles for government officials in subsequent budgets rather than requesting for their purchase from special expenditure votes.
The House then adjourned sitting to Monday, April 12 2021.
Meanwhile, outstanding teachers in Lagos State-owned schools would be honoured with cars and other consolation prizes at Annual Education Merit Awards, an initiative of the state government aimed at rewarding, motivating and appreciating the efforts of the teachers across the State.
The grand finale of the annual education merit award, scheduled to hold on March 30 is designed to encourage upcoming generation to take pride in the teaching profession.
Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo who addressed newsmen ahead of the event said the 13 teachers to be honoured were among 23 semi-finalists selected from over 3,000 applications who applied for the State’s Merit Award selection process captured under the State’s Education Transformation Plan 2020.
Mrs. Adefisayo explained that the recipients have been selected from Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools as well as Technical Colleges in the State, adding that the selection of finalists have been made through stringent evaluation criteria.
She revealed that Governor Sanwo-Olu earlier presented a three-bedroom apartment to the best teacher and best principal for 2019, thereby encouraging the best hands to embrace the teaching profession as teachers are nurturers of a nation’s treasure.
